In recent years, an electrically powered vehicle equipped with a power storage device (for example, a secondary battery, a capacitor and the like) and running with the driving force generated from the electric power stored in the power storage device has received attention as an environmentally-friendly vehicle. This electrically powered vehicle includes, for example, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, and the like. The technique for charging the power storage device mounted in the above-described electrically powered vehicle by a commercial power supply having a high power generation efficiency is proposed.
The hybrid vehicle also includes a known vehicle equipped with a power storage device that can be charged by a power supply external to the vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as an “external power supply”). For example, the so-called “plug-in hybrid vehicle” is known which is provided with a power storage device that can be charged by a household power supply through the charging cable connecting between the power receptacle provided in the house and the charging port provided in the vehicle. Accordingly, an improvement in the fuel consumption efficiency of the hybrid vehicle can be expected.
Furthermore, in some of the above-described electrically powered vehicles, the air conditioner for air-conditioning the compartment in the vehicle may be driven with the electric power from the power storage device. In the vehicle configured as described above, the compartment within the vehicle can be air-conditioned even when the vehicle is stopped.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-057583 (PTL 1) discloses the so-called pre-air conditioning control in the hybrid vehicle for performing air conditioning while the vehicle is stopped.